Google Earth has
three new layers from NASA (you can find them in the Featured Content folder): astronaut photos of the Earth, satellite imagery for geographic phenomena like the tsunami from 2004 that devastated countries around the Indian Ocean and
Earth City Lights, a layer that shows the intensity of light at night for all the cities in the world. Here's a part of Europe and some context:
"The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. (Compare western Europe with China and India.) Cities tend to grow along coastlines and transportation networks. Even without the underlying map, the outlines of many continents would still be visible. (...) Even more than 100 years after the invention of the electric light, some regions remain thinly populated and unlit. Antarctica is entirely dark. The interior jungles of Africa and South America are mostly dark, but lights are beginning to appear there,"
says NASA about the layer.
Labels: Google Earth
David said on July 19, 2007 5:41 PM PDT:
South Korea looks like an Island.
said on July 19, 2007 8:17 PM PDT:
Where is the link to download these layers?
You only need to have
Google Earth. You'll find a Layers section in the sidebar. Expand the Featured Content folder and the NASA subfolders. Then click on the small rectangles next to each option to enable it.
Like in this screenshot.
said on July 20, 2007 1:03 PM PDT:
Cool, but your original post was kind of vague about that for those who aren't super familiar with the way GE content works -- I was hunting around the Google Earth blog for a link or a "featured content" tag.
Anyway, awesome layer -- thanks for posting about it!
Vista said on July 20, 2007 2:53 PM PDT:
it a real great
I'm loving this...oh the joys of using Google Earth.
The only downside is that Google Earth loves to hog all of my memory. I set the cache down a little lower but then the performance lags a little bit. I guess memory is the price you gotta pay for something that looks so cool. :)
said on July 22, 2007 1:17 AM PDT:
I've updated Google Earth, but I still have no CityLight layer available. What I'm doing wrong?
These are beautiful pictures. They make me a little unsettled, thinking about all that energy. But the pictures are still stunning.
said on July 23, 2007 3:21 PM PDT:
For those who aren't able to find the Earth City Lights Layer.
You must have defined English as active language in options.
I usally use German, Earth City Lights Layer wasn't available.
Activated English language, and it was available.
HTH.
said on February 9, 2008 1:35 PM PDT:
Great program. I've always wanted to look for something like this. It does take a long time to load any given section of the map. Anyone know do these maps get updated from time to time like the regular google earth?
said on January 2, 2009 10:07 AM PDT:
Look at all of europe. then look at africa....sad isn't it...
said on January 6, 2009 3:26 PM PDT:
I can't get rid of Nasa view. My Earth is perma-night. I have even tried reinstalling it. Any ideas?
said on March 12, 2009 11:37 PM PDT:
I just reinstalled google earth because it only showed night view. I just realisied that all you have to do is change the layer in the nasa field to turn off night.... oops!
said on April 17, 2009 10:16 AM PDT:
those pictures are toattaly AWESOME!!!!
said on May 28, 2009 8:18 AM PDT:
Why did the Google earth switched the lights
off?
said on October 31, 2009 10:01 AM PDT:
thanks...you save me from almost destroying my computer..
said on January 4, 2010 12:39 PM PDT:
Its not cool or awesome or beautiful. It's sick. People talk about "Saving the Environment." We need to save ourselves. The environment will be fine without us.. All of those lights look like an infection; which is exactly what we've become to this planet.
